Physical Activity and Sleep Patterns During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Insights from a Cluster Analysis
2025, Roman, Michał, Gostkowski, Michał, Niedziółka, Arkadiusz, Wojcieszak - Zbierska, Monika Małgorzata, Kosendiak, Aureliusz
This study examined the relationship between physical activity levels and sleep quality among students during the COVID-19 pandemic, identifying patterns through clustering analysis. A longitudinal cohort of 1,600 students from Wroclaw Medical University, Poland participated from October 2020 to March 2021, with data collected in two stages: Stage I (n = 845) after six months and Stage II (n = 755) after one year. Physical activity levels, measured by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-S), were categorized as low, moderate, or high in metabolic equivalent of task (MET) minutes per week, while sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), classifying participants as “good” or “poor” sleepers. Clustering analysis applied hierarchical agglomerative clustering (HAC) on 2021 data. Walking MET scores increased for both genders from 2020 to 2021, with significant gender differences. Females showed increased total MET, while male scores remained stable. Four clusters emerged: Clusters 1 and 2, with high walking plus vigorous or moderate activity, had shorter sleep durations, suggesting higher activity supports better sleep. Cluster 3, with low vigorous and moderate activity, had longer sleep duration, while Cluster 4, with irregular activity, showed the longest sleep duration, indicating inconsistent activity may increase sleep needs. Overall, consistent and varied physical activity may support optimal sleep patterns among students.
Health Tourism-Subject of Scientific Research: A Literature Review and Cluster Analysis
2023, Roman, Michał, Roman, Monika, Wojcieszak - Zbierska, Monika Małgorzata
The purpose of this article is to identify main research areas in health tourism in scientific research. The data used in this analysis span from 2000 to 2022, was retrieved from the Web of Science database, and comprises a total of 1493 bibliometric records of publications. The paper includes both a quantitative and a qualitative analysis. The following four main research areas were identified based on the results: (1) patient satisfaction built upon trust; (2) health impacts of the destination (including the economic aspect, which plays a decisive role in choosing a tourism destination); (3) health behavior as a major part of human activity; and (4) traveling with a view to regain one’s health. Note that the limitations of this study—which mostly affect the methodological part—need to be taken into consideration. This is the consequence of the selected publication database and of the search criteria used, such as the publication year or language.